The concept that Tom and Estelle were pursuing when they were presented to the Britt team was "Grow up, get a decent education, acquire a good career, and work very, really hard to climb the ladder of success."
The fact that they came from completely different backgrounds when they met during their final year of high school didn't matter; they had both been hard workers their entire lives, and this mentality just felt like the natural path to make their ambitions come true.
Tom met Estelle, who had already relocated 11 times and attended 13 different schools by the time they met.
Estelle was the daughter of an Army colonel. "Being the new kid at the beginning of my senior year was definitely a challenge,' she recalls."
Tom was raised in a large and close-knit family, so he found it relatively easy to extend his heart to others as well.
Together, Tom and Estelle attended a five-year undergraduate programme at a different institution.
Tom acquired an electrical engineering degree in four years after putting in the effort, while Estelle earned degrees in primary and special education in the same time frame, both in four years.
Following graduation, Tom accepted a position with the Department of the Navy in Washington, DC, and Estelle began working as a teacher shortly after their marriage.
"Here we were, two college-educated professionals who were struggling to make ends meet in a one-bedroom apartment in the Northern Virginia area.
"The only option we could think of to get forward was to enrol in graduate school and hope that we would be successful," Estelle remembers.
In Tom's words, "we kind of fell into this industry by mistake." "I overheard Al Fratantuono discussing an additional professional-level secondary income with my supervisor, and I was intrigued.
Al and I were physically chasing each other around for two weeks trying to figure out what he was talking about."
"We really didn't have time to start a business," Estelle continues. I was pursuing my master's degree in special education at the time, while Tom was enrolled in a combined masters/doctoral programme in computer engineering.
Tom and I were both working full-time at the time. "We made the most of the limited time we were given."
The Joachims now enjoy a lifestyle that they could only have imagined a few years ago as a result of this great opportunity.
To spend more time with her two boys, Tommy and Danny, Estelle has long since retired from the teaching profession.
\GM15 supervisory post with the federal government, Tom was spirited away in a white stretch limousine on the 16th of June, 1995 in front of the Department of the Navy.
He had just said goodbye to his colleagues and was on his way to the land of freedom.
Tom and Estelle both agree that being completely debt-free is a wonderful feeling.
"Knowing that our 5300-square-foot home, as well as our cars and boat, are completely paid for is a wonderful feeling.
Traveling the world's beaches with our friends and business associates, Al and Mary Anne Fratantuono, as well as the other people of character who make up the Britt team, is a dream come true for me and my wife.
But, in the end, all of our financial prosperity pales in contrast to our greatest achievement, which is being full-time parents and mentors to our two extraordinary sons.
We are making our ambitions come true by dedication, tenacity, and having a 'never-quit' mentality."
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